YOGA TODAY YOGAJOURNAL.COM 67inversions1 Shoulder Opener
Stand with your back facing a table. In-
terlock your fingers and rest your palms
on the tabletop. While exhaling, drop
your buttocks, bend your knees as much
as possible, and move your armpits and
the sides of your chest forward and up.
Press your shoulder blades down and
apart, rolling the tops of your shoulders
toward each other. Hold for 9 breaths.2 Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
(Bridge Pose)
Lie face-up on a sticky mat. Bend your
knees and place your feet hip-width apart.
On an inhalation, lift your pelvis 8 to 12
inches off the floor. Straighten your arms,
interlocking your fingers and thumbs un-
derneath you, palms facing each other. Lift
and roll your shoulders under your body
one at a time, until your seventh cervical
vertebra (C7) is off the floor. Relax your
throat as you move your chest toward
your chin. Now lift the pelvis to your maxi-
mum. Hold for 9 to 18 breaths.4 Steps to
Shoulderstand
3 Ardha Sarvangasana
(Half Shoulderstand)
Wrap three folded blankets or pads in a
sticky mat and place them against a wall.
Lie on your back, bend your knees, and
place your feet on the wall, knees slightly
bent. Lift your pelvis off the floor and roll
your shoulders under, as in Bridge Pose.
Place your hands on your back and walk
them toward your shoulders, keeping your
elbows and knees hip-width apart and your
shinbones level. Drop your body weight into
your elbows and look toward your heart
center. Hold for 18 to 36 breaths.4 Salamba Sarvangasana
(Supported Shoulderstand)
From the figure 3 position, slowly straighten
one leg at a time, taking weight onto your
shoulders without tensing your neck. If your
buttocks drop toward the wall, you are not
yet ready to straighten your legs. (If that’s
the case, place your feet back on the wall.)
Drop your lower belly into your upper belly
as you lift and relax your buttocks. Walk
your hands down your back toward the
floor, keeping your elbows shoulder-width
apart. Hold for 18 to 36 breaths.1
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